Marco Sturm excited for a fresh start with Capitals

By
Katie Carrera

It's been a rocky year for veteran left wing Marco Sturm. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in May, Sturm, then a member of the Boston Bruins, tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee, which would require offseason surgery. Sturm had already undergone surgery in 2008 for a torn ACL in the left knee.

This past December, while Sturm was still recovering from his latest surgery, the Bruins needed space under the salary cap and traded the 32-year-old native of Dingolfing, Germany, to the Los Angeles Kings for future considerations.

Sturm returned from the injury to play with the Kings in late December but began to experience tendinitis in his knee and went on injured reserve following his 15th game in a Los Angeles uniform on Jan. 18.

He was back in the Kings' lineup this past week and played in back-to-back games on Feb. 23 and 24 before Los Angeles put him on waivers in order to make room for any potential moves at the trade deadline. Sturm said his knee feels good and he simply needs to get back in the routine of playing games again.

"I came back, maybe it was a little bit too early [the first time]. I played like 15 games here and I started to have a little bit of tendinitis so we decided to just stop then," Sturm said. "I've been skating hard the last three weeks and I played the two games this week and felt totally fine. I have a good feeling that I have everything back with the strength and I just have to play games. That's the only thing that I was missing, and I know I have a chance to get that with a lot of good players around me in Washington."

Sturm played 17 games total for the Kings and recorded nine points, but in each of his last seven full NHL seasons, the left wing has recorded 20 or more goals. Because he never was completely healthy in Los Angeles, though, Sturm never had much of a chance to fully assimilate with the Kings.

"It's not been easy coming back from injury and only being here a few months," Sturm said of Los Angeles. "I've played against Washington a lot of times. They're a really exciting, fast hockey team and it's very exciting to have the chance to play with them. Obviously, things didn't work out too well here and hopefully this will be the fresh start I need."

While the makeup of the Capitals' roster after Monday's 3 p.m. trade deadline remains to be determined, it's possible Sturm will see time on the second line. When considering some of the other options out there, if Sturm can stay healthy and bring back part of the speed he used well in his prime, he can help add a little more veteran stability to Washington's forward corps.

Sturm believes he can stay healthy.

"I think right away, the biggest challenge is more mental," Sturm said. "You've got to be strong, obviously, and you have to know, trust, that you're over it -- that usually takes it a bit. I know I'm fine and good to go. I think the next step is just playing games. When you miss a lot of games you want to have that rhythm again, playing every other night as many minutes as you can -- on the power play, wherever -- and get the confidence back."

For the bargain salary cap hit of $827,957 to close out the final year of his current contract and no prospects or current roster players lost in the acquisition, if Sturm fits it could definitely help nudge the Capitals in the right direction. That said, it's unlikely that General Manager George McPhee is done making moves before the deadline.

In addition to the possibility of having a fresh start with the Capitals, Sturm is looking forward to returning to the East Coast. His family still lives in Boston, where he spent five seasons after the lockout and he's familiar with Scott Hannan and Matt Bradley as his time in San Jose overlapped with theirs.

Sturm planned to fly to Washington on Saturday so he should be a part of the Capitals' next practice after tonight's contest against the Islanders, which is currently scheduled for Monday morning.

Hey you know the great irony of the name calling. You want people to stop calling others names on this site yet you call others "Kool Aid drinkers."

Do you know where that term comes from? It comes from the Jonestown Massacre of 1978 when 909 men women and children drank kool aid with cyanide in it blindly following a cult leader.

So yea we get it some people blindly follow GMGM, you just might want to find a more respectful way to say it..... or not be so critical of others that name call on this site, because yours, by far, is the most disrespectful.

Give me a fricking break as Dark siders/Goat blood drinkers and Kool-Aid drinkers are what EVERYONE calls the groups on this blog so your little argument there has no merit whatsoever.

I am talking about specific name calling such as retard/tool/etc and I'm pretty sure you know that and are just trying to be argumentative as usual. I will not bite and respond to any more of your posts however.

You say it because everyone else does? That makes it ok? That's your rational for making light of a massacre? I would rather you had said you were unaware of the origin of the term. To be aware of the term and then turn around and use it towards your fellow Caps fans is a whole new level of disrespect.

Two are self proclaimed experts who smugly comment on everyone and everything from the workings of the front office to the atmosphere in the locker room...as if they were actually there. One of them thinks playing DJ King, a slow skating brute with no skills, is the answer to the team's problems.Thank god he was waived so we don't have to hear that anymore.

Posted by: bondtrader | February 26, 2011 5:27 PM | Report abuse

Hey bondtrader, next time go ahead and identify me by screename as I don't whine when folks like you try to belittle posters like me and the others you identified. Besides, if you haven't realized it I get off on all the attention...what other reason could drive me to write what I write, correct?

Anyway, DJK might be gone but he wont be forgotten. He was never my main project anyway, and I'll find another to consume my thoughts.

You would either have to be a child or have your head buried in the sand to have never heard of Jonestown but as I said that I the accepted names given to the groups on this blog and man Koll-Aiders even call themselves by that name.

As stated before you are just being your normal argumentative self and I am done with you, I suggest you move on as well.

Don't let 'em get you down. Have the courage of your convictions. There's another "joker" on this site that does that as well. Btw, DJK isn't gone yet, right? Did I miss it. I thought he was simply put on waivers.

Wow, lots of angry individuals on this site today. Not surprising after that display last night. Wish the Caps would draw on some of that negativity and come out flying. What has a better chance of happening first: 1) Caps score on the power play against AL MONTOYA (really) , or 2) Tavares or Moulsen turn the big pylon (#55) inside out and scores an easy one?

Sadly I think the money might be on #2. With Green out maybe GMGM can package Schultz and Poti and get a real d-man who can clear the net and shoot harder than an 8-year old girl.

Some of you need to put your big girl panties on and stop whining and calling each other names. What, are you a bunch of grade school kids? Caps showed a little heart tonight and that was much needed. C'mon Caps, put the pedal to the floor and get this thing moving.

The Caps now have 5 natural left wings. I'm thinking this may mean Semin is about to move. I'd like to see them package him for some real impact players.
Visnovsky and Koivu from Anaheim?
Robidas and Ribeiro from Dallas?

Listen all of you homo sapiens, time will tell if this was a good move. Hard to match the impact that Federov had when he was picked up late in the season one year. Please bear the following in mind:last year the Flyers only made it into the post season by beating the Rangers in a shootout, the last game of the season. Then they went on to the finals. Anything can happen as long as the Caps make the playoffs which I believe they will.

Listen all of you homo sapiens, time will tell if this was a good move. Hard to match the impact that Federov had when he was picked up late in the season one year. Please bear the following in mind:last year the Flyers only made it into the post season by beating the Rangers in a shootout, the last game of the season. Then they went on to the finals. Anything can happen as long as the Caps make the playoffs which I believe they will.

@RARedskinsFan - well I'm also pro-Semin but I can't call the Semin haters hapless fools. They've done a masterful job at directing and coloring the discourse on this board. (And often their comments are insightful and interesting...)
I'm a pro "euro trash" kind of guy. Some day there will even be European coaches and officials in the game here (one can hope) and the game will begin to approach its real potential...

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